We talked to... Andie Wyatt, Creative Director at Horses of the Wild

We caught up with the lovely Andie from Horses of the Wild and learnt a bit more about the brand, where it came from and how this husband and wife team juggle a busy family alongside running a business...

Please tell us a little bit about yourself...

We are based in the Surrey Hills, in a lovely village surrounded by woodlands and fields of horses, sadly not mine but the view is amazing. We have two tween age children Stanley and Maggie who is also our model and our puppy Sybil who takes me for walks when I need a break.

Tell us a little bit about your brand...how did the brand come about? What inspired you?

As a designer for brands and retailers I have always been telling someone else’s story, I wanted to see if I could tell my own story of who I was when I was young, a regular kid who was crazy about horses, loved riding bikes, climbing trees, building dens but also loved music, fashion and being an individual.

This coincided with shopping trips becoming increasingly difficult with my daughter who felt that the brands she’d worn were no longer relevant and was looking at fashion stores that I thought were too grown up, I was also unhappy with the level of synthetic fibres that are on offer. I respect her love of fashion but thought that a brand that spoke to her age group directly was missing from what was on offer.

What makes the brand special and why should we be buying it?

Horses of the Wild is centred on the tween-aged girl, so for me it’s about offering age appropriate, practical pieces that aren’t about fast fashion. Our collections are all natural fibres and layer on one another, its about creating limited edition future classics.

How do you juggle parenthood and your career?

With caffeine! I tried going without recently and it was awful. The company is just my husband and I, but we have lots of amazing friends and family that are helping when we need them to. I also love that I’m no longer commuting for 4 hours a day so whatever the stresses are of the juggling it is so much better than missing time with them.

What are you most proud of in your brand journey?

Having my customers say how happy they are with my brand and listening to their adventures with their ponies.

Where's your favourite family destination to get Sandy Toes?

Visiting my father every year in Spain. Family and home from home, you can’t beat it. There are lots of sandy beaches there and we love sea kayaking and paddle boarding.

What's your top family travel tip?

Always have a notepad and pen for playing games when we all need a distraction